Poster #122 - “If it’s not an institution, it’s death”: Using Photovoice to Explore Carceral Practices in Recovery

• In Event: ASC Poster Session I

Abstract

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines recovery from substance use disorder as “a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.” However, the pervasive criminalization and moralization of opioid use and stigmatization of treatment options may overdetermine the agency central to SAMHSA’s recovery principles. The purpose of this study is to use qualitative Photovoice discussion data to examine the influence of substance use criminalization on community perceptions of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment and recovery. The data come from the NIH-funded HEALing Communities Study®, Kentucky site (HCS-KY) (HCS, UM1DA049406; PI: Walsh) Photovoice project. Guided by a Foucauldian carceral framework, qualitative thematic analysis was completed on 34 Photovoice focus group discussion transcripts to examine the intersections of OUD recovery with the criminal legal system. The analysis resulted in four themes: 1) The power to access recovery/the power to punish, 2) the normalization of abstinence, 3) Panopticism and the surveillance of recovery, and 4) recovery as a total institution. OUD recovery appears to be overdetermined by carceral structures, and future research efforts should focus on promotion of harm reduction and non-abstinence-based recovery outcomes.

Author

• Marisa Booty, University of Kentucky